VFS Global Shares An Important Information For Indian Visa Applicants In US

Last Updated on Mar 2nd, 2022 by Heena Ganotra, Leave a Comment

In view of the continued concern over the COVID-19 pandemic, VFS Global shared an update for VISA applicants in USA on 11 January 2022. This was regarding the submission of applications at the Indian Consular Application Centres.

The VFS clearly stated that the Indian Consular Application Centres will no longer accept in-person applications via walk-in/over-the-counter with or without appointments for Indian Visas till further notice. This is due to the spike in the Covid-19 cases.

“Owing to the ongoing Coronavirus (COVID-19) developments in the USA, our Indian Consular Application Centres will not be accepting any in-person applications until further notice,” said VFS Global.

How To Submit Applications If In-Person Applications Are Suspended? 

Indian Visa applicants can continue to apply via post either through the POSTAL PROCESS or through EMERGENCY VISA SERVICES.

**Please note that the emergency visa services were resumed by the VFS in December 2021. 

Procedure To Apply Through The Postal Process

Registration on VFS Portal to submit your Consular application to VFS Indian Consular Application Centre (ICAC) is important. Apart from this, filling the consular application form online on the Government of India website is mandatory to apply by the postal process. 

Please note that you will need the Application Reference Number (ARN), File number, or Application Id to start the Postal Registration process on VFS Portal.

Postal Address For Indian Visa Applicants In USA  

Given below are the postal addresses for Indian Visa applicants residing in the consular jurisdictions of Consulates General of India at –

• VFS Global San Francisco 

Floor 5, 228 Grant Ave, San Francisco, CA – 94108

(Include States: Alaska, Arizona, California, Island of Guam, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, U.S. Territory of American Samoa and Wyoming)

• VFS Global Atlanta 

5607 Glenridge Drive Suite 725, Atlanta, Georgia GA 30342

(Include States: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Tennessee, and US Virgin Islands)

• VFS Global Houston 

Suite 550, 1001 Texas Avenue, Houston TX 77002

(Include States: Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Colorado, and Nebraska)

• VFS Global Chicago

Suite 2075, 180 North Stetson Ave, 20th Floor, Chicago – 60601

(Include States: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin)

• VFS Global New York 

145 W 45th Street 3rd Floor, New York, New York 10036

(Include States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont)

• VFS Global Washington DC

1025 Vermont Ave, N.W. Ste 302 Washington, DC 20005

(Include States: Bermuda, Delaware, District of Columbia, Kentucky, Maryland, North Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia)

T&Cs When Applying For VISA Via Post

When you start the process, you will be asked – 

• To review the information filled on the Government form (s) for accuracy before starting the registration process on VFS Indian Consular Application Centre’s portal application system. 
• To not start the process on the VFS system unless you have verified the accuracy of the information filled on Govt. Portal.
• To upload Photographs on Govt. Portal (For OCI and Visa Applications)
• To not make any edits if you have submitted the form online on both Govt. Portal (s) and VFS Portal. 

**In case of any mistakes, complete the registration process again while completing registration on Government Portal or VFS Portal.

Before making the online payment for Visa, ensure that – 

• The Application Reference Number, File Reference number, or Application Id is correct. 
• The passport number is correct.
• The location of the VFS Indian Consular application Centre as per your Consular Jurisdiction is correct. 
• The application category chosen is correct. 
• The information matches with your passport, details on the Government form & on the VFS registration portal.

VFS VISA Payment Modes & Fee Details 

VFS service fee, courier fee, or convenience fee are not refundable. 

However, if you pay the fee but later decide not to send your application, you are eligible to raise a refund request. You shall then get the eligible refund of the Consular fee & ICWF fee. 

Please note that the consular fee and ICWF fee are refundable only if not remitted. If the fee is remitted to the Embassy or Consulate, then there will be no refund whatsoever. 

Going with chargeback will make VFS transfer the chargeback penalty and other associated amounts to you by raising an online invoice.

Paying the fee by money order or banker’s check will have the application process initiated only post realization of the funds into our bank account. This may take 2-5 business days.

In a nutshell, a service fee of US$ 15.90 (inclusive of all taxes) per application will be charged in addition to applicable Government of India fees for these services. The applicant will also be required to pay US$ 3.00 on account of the Indian Community Welfare Fund (ICWF) apart from the VFS service charge and for any value-added services, like courier, etc.

Association Of Indian Consular Center and VFS Global

With effect from 13 December 2021 (12:01 AM PST), Indian Consulate Centers in USA had outsourced VISA services to VFS Global. 

The appointment of VFS Global as the new Outsourcing Service Provider has been done for Visa, OCI, Renunciation, Passport, Global Entry Programme (GEP), and Police Clearance Certificate (PCC) services for the Consulate General of India. 

Under this agreement, the Consulate will not accept direct visa applications and the applicant will need to submit the visa application to VFS.

Pretty streamlined, right?

Well, now that you know the nitty-gritty of applying for an Indian VISA in USA, we’ll like to know that the process beyond this is also very simple. Once you apply and receive your Indian VISA, you can get in touch with MyTicketsToIndia to book cheap flights to India.

MyTicketsToIndia is a flight-booking platform that has devoted 13 years of service to its travelers; all the while making their journeys easier and hassle-free. We share the best flight itineraries after understanding the clients’ requirements and book the most affordable flight tickets. All you have to do is give us a call or join the live chat and we’ll take things forth from there.

About Heena Ganotra | View Posts

A writer by both passion and profession, Heena Ganotra is "half agony, half hope" but all heart. And oh, she has been a book lover from the start! Her love for books is what convinced her to make a career in the wonderful world of words. She loves what she does and is out-and-out a satisfied soul with a wish to spread happiness like herpes. Insight- Some say she is living the best life anyone could because she reads, writes, travels, and makes merry. They’re right because what else does one really need! :)